Outdoor Advertising

Definition: Any advertising done outdoors that publicizes your business's
products and services. Types of outdoor advertising include
billboards, bus benches, interiors and exteriors of buses, taxis
and business vehicles, and signage posted on the exterior of your
own brick-and-mortar location.

Outdoor advertising works well for promoting your product in
specific geographic areas. While billboards, bus benches, and
transit advertising can be very effective for the small-business
owner, any successful outdoor campaign begins with your own
location's signage.

Your outdoor sign is often the first thing a potential customer
sees. Your sign should be sufficiently bright and conspicuous to
attract attention (without being garish) and sufficiently
informative to let prospective customers know what's sold
there.

Ride around town and observe which signs catch your eye. Note
which ones don't. Then think of the impression each sign gives you.
Remember that you never get a second chance to make a first
impression, so give this important marketing tool your best
efforts.

If you're involved in a business that has a fleet of vehicles
conducting deliveries or providing a service, your company's name,
logo, and phone number should be clearly visible on the vehicles.
It's free advertising that allows you to increase your exposure in
your market.

Billboards are most effective when located close to the business
advertised. Because of their high cost, they're usually used to
reach a very large audience, as in political campaigns. They're
likely to be too expensive for most small firms, and some
communities have strict ordinances governing the placement of
billboards. In Vermont, for example, they're prohibited.

Bus-bench advertising is an excellent medium because it's highly
visible, like a billboard. Essentially, bus-bench advertisers have
a huge audience, held captive at red lights or in slow-moving
traffic. An account executive of a Los Angeles-based bus bench
manufacturing company said that an advertisement on one bus bench
at a busy Los Angeles intersection would be seen by 35,000 to
50,000 people per day.

Usually, the advertising consists of simple two-color artwork
with your company's name, brief copy describing the product or
service, address and phone number. Rates and terms vary depending
on the city you're in.

Call your city's mass transit department or local bus company to
find out who rents advertising space on their bus-stop benches.
Some outdoor advertising companies also handle this type of
advertising.

Transit advertising on buses and taxicabs reaches lots of
people, especially commuters. Your ad is highly visible, and market
research on transit advertising shows that it's very effective.